Fishes

We here at "What the Fish?" have had a great time discussing all of our favorite fishy things in life, and we hope you have enjoyed the content we put together. We are ending "What the Fish?" on its 26th episode because that marks one year's worth of shows, and it coincides with Beth, Leo, and Matt leaving The Field Museum for other fishy adventures. Read more about What the Fish? Episode 26: Fin

Venomous animals are captivating because of the fears their toxins provoke and the potential pharmaceutical benefits their venoms contain. Most people conjure up snakes or scorpions when they think of venomous creatures, but recent scientific work has demonstrated that there are at least 15x as many species of venomous fishes than previously estimated, including the Blue Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus) that Ellen DeGeneres made famous in Finding Nemo. In fact, Dory is just one of more than 3,000 species of venomous fishes, making them more species-rich than venomous snakes and scorpions combined. Although our knowledge of venomous fishes is in its infancy, it is clear that their venoms should be regarded as a tremendous new source of pharmaceuticals because of the incredible diversity of fish venoms and their moderate levels of toxicity.
Read more about What the Fish? Episode 25: Finding Out Dory Is Venomous

Within the evolutionary history of vertebrates, the transition from an aquatic environment to a terrestrial habitat significantly impacted the course of vertebrate evolution on Earth. Scientists have been studying this transition intensively from an incredible variety of angles, such as biochemistry, paleontology, functional morphology, and evolutionary relationships of these incredible creatures. In this episode we discuss some of the factors and science that influenced this incredible turning point in vertebrate evolution. Read more about What the Fish? Episode 24: Leaving the Sea